Spanish sports’ golden age

Spain is witnessing its golden age in sports. I would cut to the chase and reason with a theory that could point as to why it is so. Surely, it is not just coincidence.
The theory goes- A country’s generation born close to an Olympics benefits immensely. And if the country continues to aspire for sporting success, there is a good chance, it will produce champions.

It is 2012 and it has been 20 years since the 1992 Barcelona Games.20 years is a generation. We can also figure in that 1982 FIFA World Cup was held in Spain. The Olympics needs sporting infrastructure, and this sporting base is used by future sportspersons. The exposure breeds familiarity, practice pushes perfection, academies produce prodigies. In simple words, reaping what you sowed.

Now it is an observed fact that taxpayers keep on footing the bill after Olympics are done with. Athens is still burdened by the massive expenditure when it hosted in 2004, so is Atlanta from 1996. Infrastructure built for big ticket sporting events can actually go to waste. But the same stadiums can be used to breed academies or used to host events of relatively lesser profile, which keeps the money coming and encouraging sportspersons to excel all the same.

The sportsmen and women make nations proud on the world stage. The link between hosting an Olympics and becoming a sporting power can be made for South Korea and Seoul 1988. South Korea however is a tiny state and it is easier for them to use the facilities built. They have carried the momentum all the while getting new sports and disciplines. Some nations go the other way around and host an Olympics after becoming a sporting giant, like China did at Beijing 2008.

Coming back to Spain though, I suggest that it’s because of the push that the country got from Barcelona 92’and their pursuit of sporting excellence, that they are reaping success. Spain has always had a great football league, and yet they were under-achievers on the world stage. With an unprecedented successive Euro-World Cup-Euro treble by Spanish football team, they now have staked claim to be the one of the best teams ever.

Also the Catalans do not consider themselves to be part of Spain. A thing that surfaces every now and then at Barcelona’s Camp Nou at the time of El Clasico. That independent identity feud aside, Spain noticeably is not just producing champions from Barcelona and Madrid. They are also coming from Oviedo, Seville, Valencia and Málaga.

Moreover and importantly, it is just not about football anymore. Spain has champion teams in basketball, handball, futsal and watersports. They have Gemma Mengual in synchronised swimming ; Sergio Garcia and recently Azahara Muñoz in golf .They have won the Davis Cup 5 times since 2000, and have had Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Sergie Bruguera, Carlos Moya, Aranxta Sanchez Vicario , Conchita Martinez in tennis. Motorsports has Fernando Alonso’s double world championship in Formula 1.Moto GP has the talents of  Jorge Lorezo, Dani Pedrosa and Nicolás Terol among others. Even if we discount Miguel Indurain’s 5 consecutive Tour de France titles between 1991-95, Spain has had Oscar Pereiro and Carlos Sastre winning in Tour de France in 2006 and 2008 respectively.Spain were hockey silver medallists at Beijing Olympics in 2008. The list is long and impressive. Read more here.

To conclude with an analogy, the museum benefits Gaudi, Gaudi benefits the museum.

Players need stadiums, stadium needs players.

Spain benefits with both in its golden age of sports.

Wimbeldon Diary

For all the vagaries of British weather and the crazy expensive arena that SW 19 is , Wimbledon is special. Its because of the green and purple colours, the surface itself, the hospitality, the Royal Box, the history and tradition,the retractable roof, the strawberry and cream that bring the uniqueness to the whole experience.They make Wimbeldon what it is.

Nothing can compare the feeling for a tennis player of lifting the trophy aloft on the hallowed grass court of Centre Court at Wimbledon.

The 125th edition of the pre-eminent tennis championships ended after a decent final between Rafael Nadal and the new world number one Novak Djokovic.One thing that I sorely miss though is the serve and volley approach to the game which has almost disappeared.Even more so from the women’ game which is lacklustre and devoid of any decent rivalries .The women’s tour is kind of boring unless you watch the new designs that Stella McCartney designs for Adidas and Caroline Wozniacki or watch other ladies like Ana Ivanovic,Maria Sharapova or Daniela Hantuchova upping the fashion quotient.

Seldom are there matches of high quality and they are often ridden with unforced errors and few winners. The best example is the ladies final itself.The matches involve a lot of high decibel shrieking and powering through the baseline.

The women largely move left and right at the court rather than an up and down approach, thereby completely negating the most beautiful and best way to play – serve and volley.However,the decade long Williams sisters domination that had ended here is a welcome change .But how I wish some young lady comes up with a serve and volley game and blitz the tennis courts. Although she is unlikely to come from eastern Europe, which now throws up so many girls with surnames ending with ‘ova’ and each having a power baseline game .

The best match from the women’s draw surprisingly was in the second round between Venus Williams and Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm.Both with a combined age of 71 played a fantastic 3-setter . Date-Krumm coming back on tour after an absence was brilliant and only Williams height and net game prevented a huge upset.

So it was the men’s draw that provided the excitement for me .The fun was watching the ladies invitational featuring past winners in Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Jana Navotna and Martina Navratilova . As always,Wimbledon also had its fun moments , a compilation right here.Watch out for Andy Murray’ hotdog shot at 2:06 minutes

With all the support and a vociferous Centre Court and the Henman Hill behind him, Murray for an hour held a belief than he can beat Nadal in the semis .But the inevitability was there to see, as Nadal wrested the second and third set in a flurry of counter attacking tennis. Murray is not a loser, is not a choker ,only Nadal is better.Hope the Scot wins one Slam soon .This Wimbeldon might sadly be also the dipping of bell curve for the great Roger Federer. He might just squeeze one slam somehow, but he has to find a way to play 3 great matches as now more players are nipping at his heels -David Nalbandian, Robin Soderling, Juan Martin Del Porto, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic .That is why the men’s game despite the lack of serve and volley has viewership value. It has characters and rivalries, contenders and quality. A decent fight on court is never away.

Considering that, Djokovic's record this year is outstanding, and his Wimbeldon triumph richly deserved. I loved his gesture of eating a bit of grass of the court after his win . Just goes to show how much it means to be a Wimbeldon champion.Looking forward to next year when Wimbledon will be followed shortly by the Olympics, again at the All England Tennis Club !!

7 reasons to watch the French Open

This year's second grand slam starts this Sunday in Roland Garros,Paris.

7 is reason enough ,but i would love to see a pic of her and Rafael Nadal with their respective trophies.Both last won there in 2008 ,i hope both of them reclaim it.

Let's see what happens !!